


Five times Vic wears Lucas’ stupid, nice-smelling shirt and one time she doesn’t

by smkkbert



Category: Station 19 (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, F/M, Fluff, station 19 - Freeform, totally ignoring that unfair horrible heartwrenching ending the writers gave them, vicley - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:13:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27139199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smkkbert/pseuds/smkkbert
Summary: Since Ripley doesn't want his shirt back, Vic decides that it's hers from now on. So here are, as it's said in the title already, five times that she wears his stupid, nice-smelling shirt and one time that she doesn't.
Relationships: Victoria Hughes & Lucas Ripley, Victoria Hughes/Lucas Ripley, vicley
Comments: 69
Kudos: 89





	1. Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> To be completely honest here, I have only ever written #Olicity, but watching #Vicley made me feel things that I haven't felt for any fictional couple in quite some time. So, I was inspired and I started writing and here's the result. I promise to keep writing this fic until all six chapters are up.

She had delivered a baby last night. She had delivered a baby while rain had been pattering down on them and the mother had been stuck inside of a burning car after said car had been in an accident. All the while, she had been running a terrible fever.

Vic took in a slightly sniffling breath and realized that her nose was still stuffed. Thinking about it, her throat felt sore, and there was a terrible pounding in her head. Her bathrobe that she had been falling asleep in last night was stuck to her skin, wet from her sweat. Realizing that, she felt incredibly cold all of a sudden. She guessed that she was still running a fever.

Turning onto her other side, she snuggled back under the blanket and tried to shake the little bit of wakefulness that had taken hold of her. Sleep was probably going to help her overcome this. It was certainly going to help her to feel less sick. You didn’t feel sick when you were asleep.

A tired sigh escaped her lips, and she already felt the strings of sleep pulling at her when a distant noise caught her attention. It took her a moment to realize that it was the water running in the shower. Was somewhere here with her? Had she asked Travis to take her home after the vitamin IV had been running though? Had he stayed overnight and-

Ripley. He had been the one who had taken her home, and he had helped her to get comfortable and he had made her a mug of tea, and they had talked. They had talked it out somehow although they hadn’t really talked about the issue itself and more about the deeper problem that had come with their fight. They had solved that and that was why the rest didn’t really matter.

Even in her half-asleep state, Vic had to smile at the memory. Lucas didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to let her go. He didn’t even want his shirt back.

His stupid, nice-smelling shirt that she had had no idea what to do with after their fight was going to stay here because Lucas didn’t want it back. He wanted his shirt here, and she wanted his shirt here. And obviously the fever was making her ramble even in her thoughts, but she really couldn’t care less.

Since she couldn’t really get that shirt out of her head now, she sat up carefully. Her sight became blurred for a second, making her groan. She hated being sick.

As soon as Vic could see again, she took a quick look around and found that stupid, nice-smelling shirt right where she had left it when she had headed to her shift yesterday morning. It was lying on the floor next to the chair that Lucas always throws his clothes to when he sleeps here, and she doesn’t take off his clothes and drop them all over her place before.

Groaning, Vic pushed the blanket away. Given the cold her skin was met with, she was tempted to just pull the blanket back under her chin and try to go back to sleep once more. Being in this sweaty bathrobe felt like anything but a good idea though, so she hurried to take it off, grabbed Lucas’ shirt from the floor and put it on instead.

Lifting the collar to her nose, she could smell the scent of Lucas’ skin on it. Since her stuffed nose shouldn’t be able to smell anything, she had to admit that she wasn’t sure if it wasn’t just her imagination. She didn’t know, and she didn’t care.

She crawled back into bed and pulled the blanket back under her chin. This was already a lot better, she thought to herself with a sigh and closed her eyes.

Not even a minute passed when she heard the bathroom door open. She wanted to turn around and look at Lucas, but she was too tired to.

“You’re awake.”

“Not really,” she whispered without opening her eyes, “basically back to sleep already.”

Lucas chuckled softly before Vic felt the mattress dip. A familiar pair of lips brushed against her forehead, kissing her and feeling for a fever at the same time. A content sigh fell from Vic’s lips at the feeling. She loved those lips, loved the soft feelings of them combined with the slightly scratchy feeling of his stubble.

“Your temperature is still kind of high.”

“I know. I’ll just stay in bed.”

“Okay. Sounds like a good plan. Do you need anything?”

With her eyes still closed, Vic shook her head. She reached out her hand blindly until she found Lucas’ hand on the mattress behind her. She laced her fingers through his and squeezed his hand.

“I don’t need anything. Thank you. Have fun at work.”

“Oh, I’m not going to work.”

“Is it Sunday?”

“No.” Lucas chuckled. “I took a day off to take care of you.”

That made Vic finally open her eyes and turn around. Lucas was sitting on the other side of the bed, already back in his boxer briefs and a white T-shirt. His hair was still wet. His eyes were looking at her with that special smile she enjoyed so much because it was so sweet. It was the kind of smile that didn’t really show on his lips, but it was sparkling in his eyes. She didn’t know why she loved that smile so much, but she did. She loved it.

And she loved him.

Her fever must have infected her brain somehow because only now she remembered that Lucas hadn’t only told her to keep the shirt. He also hadn’t just told her that he didn’t want to go and he didn’t want to let her go. No, he had told her that he loved you, and she had told him that she loved him too.

And she had meant it.

“Is that okay with you?”

Vic smiled tiredly. “Am I okay with having you in bed all day with me? Damn yes.”

“Damn good,” Lucas mocked her tone and leaned down to brush another kiss against her forehead, “because I would have to put a lot of work into convincing you of the opposite otherwise.”

Frowning, she added, “But what will people think when you just take a day off when I am sick? Especially after you have come with the operation with the team last night?”

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. “They won’t think anything. It’s just a day. With all the people working in the department, it’s only natural that things like that overlap for a day.”

“True.” Vic sighed contently and shot Lucas a tired smile. “I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I am.” He squeezed her hand back. “And if there are any rumors, I am sure that Sully will silence them.”

Now Vic frowned again. “Sully? Captian Sullivan knows?”

Lucas nodded his head. “I told him. I needed advice how to handle our fight and handle everything and I… told him.”

Vic perked up her eyebrows. She might be sick and tired, but she wasn’t sick enough or tired enough to miss out on this talk. Lucas seemed to sense that.

“I am sorry,” he said firmly but with soft voice, “for reacting the way that I did when I realized that Montgomery was the one that you told about us. I guess if we can’t tell the people closest to us, it will never work. I trust Sully to keep his mouth shut about us, and if you trust Montgomery the same way-”

“I do. I really do.”

Lucas smiled and squeezed her hand. With that, he slid into bed with her and put both of his arms around her. Vic rested her head on his chest with a smile, listening to the soft beat of his heart. She enjoyed being this wrapped up in his arms and to be all surrounded by him. She really did.

“You are wearing my stupid, nice-smelling shirt.”

Again, Vic smiled. “Hm-hmm.”

“Suits you better than it suits me.”

“I guess we both know what that means.”

“That I have to come over and leave my shirts here more often?”

Vic chuckled, finally closing her eyes again. “I was going to say that you quit your job and name me your successor, but I think I like your way better.”

“Of course you do. Being fire chief means you have to do a lot of paper work. I don’t think it’s your thing.”

Vic kind of wanted to ask it it was his thing because, afer she had seen him with that chainsaw, she actually doubted it. She was too tired to ask him though. She would have to remember that question for some other time when she wasn’t feeling like this. Some time soon.

“Are you falling back asleep?”

“Probably.” Vic snuggled her face even more against Lucas’ chest, enjoying the feeling of his breast rising and falling with evey single one of his breaths. “Especially when you keep talking about paperwork.”

“Oh, so much paperwork,” he replied with a chuckle and started talking her into sleep, all the while holding her close.


	2. Convincing

Again, he parked his car in the public underground parking and walked the two blocks to Vic’s apartment, just like he had a lot of times in the last weeks. Today, for the first time, he didn’t have an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Telling Vic that he loved her and hearing her say that she loved him too had taken all of that away.

Who cared that they were going against the rules?

He had cared, he couldn’t deny that. Those rules existed for a lot of good reasons. In this job – a job that was still quite male-dominated and where hierarchy played an important role – the danger that high-ranking employees of the department abused their powers was big. It was too big to risk anything like that.

Fact was that the ones that really wanted to abuse that power wouldn’t let themselves be stopped by those rules. They would do whatever suited their needs, all rules be damned.

With Vic and him that was different, Lucas knew that. Now more than ever.

Playing with his keys in the pocket of his jeans, he thought back to that moment in the turnout room after the storm. Vic had been the one who had suggested locking the door. Vic had been the one telling him that having sex with her, even at work while they were both still in their uniforms, was no abuse of power because she was consenting. She had been the definition of consenting if he remembered correctly. She had convinced him to lock the door.

He was her boss at work which, luckily, he didn’t have to parade a lot of times since they weren’t working directly together most times. Outside of work, they were equals though. She actually bossed him around a lot, and he liked that. As Fire Chief, he was used to people simply doing what he said. With Vic, that was different, but she had always liked to yell at him, even back before they had become a thing.

Arriving at Vic’s apartment building, he shot a quick look around. He might not care about the rules that much anymore, but other people certainly would. It was better to make sure that nobody found out at least for now. They would have to wait and see what the future would bring.

Just when Lucas was about to ring the bell, the door opened as a woman stepped out. Lucas smiled at her politely and slipped into the building quickly. Humming some melody that he must have heard on the radio on his way here, he hurried up the stairs.

Low music came from the inside of her apartment and, with a smile, Lucas noticed that Vic seemed to be listening to the same song that was stuck in his head right now. Maybe he hadn’t heard it in his car on the way here, but with her on some point. He really couldn’t remember, and he didn’t care.

He lifted his hand and knocked at the wooden door quietly.

“Coming!”

He smiled, just hearing her voice. After this long day of a lot of stupid paperwork, all he needed was Vic’s energizing self, and he knew he’d feel a lot better.

The door opened only a moment later, and Vic appeared in his view. She had freed her hair from the tight updo she had certainly worn for work because she always wore those for work. She had exchanged her day clothes against the white shirt he had left here a while ago and not even noticed until she had brought it up. It covered her body down to the middle of her thighs, leaving the rest of his bare legs for him to look at.

”Hot.”

Letting his gaze travel all the way up her body, he eventually met her eyes. Vic was looking at him with mocking reprimand.

“I meant the smell of food that’s coming from your apartment,” he said with a grin, just like she had used her coffee as a cover once.

“Oh, really?” Vic cocked her head slightly, unable to bite back a grin of her own. “Are you sure that a smell can even be hot?”

“It definitely can be.” He leaned forward slightly. “And knowing you, I know that you ordered something very hot.”

Vic pushed her tongue against the inside of her tongue and looked at him with that expression in her eyes that made his skin start tingling. He wetted his lips with his tongue and just waited. That anticipation would just intensify the kiss that he knew would follow.

Then, when Vic grabbed him by his tie and pulled him in, he wrapped his arms around her waist as tightly as he could and let his lips meet hers in a hungry kiss. Their tongues moved together in a slow way when he walked her a step back, kicking the door shut behind them and pressed her against the nearest wall. His body was pressed against his, her back arching away from the wall, making her front press even more against his. He could feel every muscle and every bone in her chest. He could even feel the wild pounding of her heart.

When relationships were new, the longing for each other was still incredibly high. He basically missed Vic the moment he stepped out of the door, and he couldn’t wait to take off her clothes and-

“Food’s getting burnt.”

Quickly, Vic pushed him away and hurried over to the stove. She turned off the hotplate, pushed the pan off it and stirred in it a little. Lucas stepped behind her and brushed a kiss against the shell of her ear while he was getting two plates from the cupboard above her.

“How was your day?” he asked, setting the table. “I heard you were called to a fire at the mall?”

“We did,” she answered, bringing the pan over to the table and taking the place opposite of him, “but it was a calm day, really.”

“Those can be nice too.”

“Absolutely.”

She pushed the first fork of that spicy rice she had cooked between her lips and sighed contently. No matter how easy the shift had been, she probably hadn’t eaten much since breakfast last morning when her shift had started.

“What about you?” she asked eventually. “How was your day?”

“I-“ Lucas let out a long breath. “I was at war with paperwork.”

Vic looked at him with a frown for a moment. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Do you like paperwork?”

Lucas chuckled. “No, not really.”

“Why did you want to become Chief then?” she asked, frowning slightly. “I mean you barely get to do any of the work that people usually connect to being a firefighter. You are barely even out on an operation.”

Lucas nodded, watching Vic’s eyes fill with even more nosiness. As much as he loved to be in her bed and explore her body with his hands, lips and tongue, he liked sitting here with her wearing his shirt and getting to know each other too. With Vic, he knew he could be honest. She’d understand better than anyone else he had ever been with.

Thinking about it, it made that rule even weirder. Firefighters understood each other in a way someone, who didn’t work in the department probably couldn’t understand. If it wasn’t for that rule, the divorce rates of fire fighters probably wouldn’t be this high.

“I kind of always wanted to have a career. I’m ambitious.”

“I noticed that.”

Of course she did, he thought to himself and smiled.

“And Jennifer-“

“-your sister, right?”

“Right.” He chuckled. “She kind of pushed me towards it a little. I think that she feels safer as long as I am doing more administrative work and keep away from the field. After our parents died, I have been the only family she has had for a long time.”

He could see in Vic’s eyes how she was trying to process this piece of information. He hadn’t mentioned his family history so far because there just hadn’t been the right occasion to bring this up.

“I didn’t know your parents-“

“It happened a long time ago. Anyway, that is why Jennifer and I am so close, and that might have played a role in me becoming a chief despite the annoying paper work.”

“But you like your job?”

“I do.” Again, he chuckled. “If I didn’t like it as much, we’d have one problem less.”

Because he could just quit, and they could be public which would be nice. For now, it was okay to keep it a secret, but down the line this would be definitely become a problem. In Vic’s eyes, he could see that she was thinking and feeling the same way.

“I like the chance I get to make the fire department more efficient and to, I don’t know, help finding ways to recruit new firefighters.”

“Oh, if I wasn’t in the department already,” she said, pushing the last bite of her food into her mouth before wiping her mouth with a napkin, “I am sure you would be able to convince me to come here.”

The flirty smile she flashed him told him that they were moving their morning to some other territory. After that heated kiss at the door before, he couldn’t wait for it.

“Really, yes?”

“Yes, you can be very, very convincing.”

Lucas hummed, crossed the arms on the edge of the tabletop and leaned forward. His eyes narrowed down on her playfully. He enjoyed this bantering so much.

“Maybe I could try to convince you to take off my shirt that you are wearing.”

“I am pretty sure it’s my shirt by now.”

It was. It definitely was. He’d happily give her all of his shirts, so she could wear them anytime. He liked seeing his clothes on her.

“I think I want it back.”

Vic puckered her lips for a moment before she scrunched up her nose and shook her head. “No.”

“No?”

“No.” She grinned seductively, mirrored his position and leaned forward too. “You need to up your game here a little. It might help if you just take that shirt off for me.”

“You think?”

“Oh, yes.”

“I’ll give it a try then.”

“Happy to see if it works.”

God, he loved that woman more than he had ever thought he could love anyone. How could any rule or any policy try to forbid them this?

He got up and walked around the table. Vic looked at him innocently, pretending to have no idea what he was about to do. Like she hadn’t suggested it herself. One more thing he loved about her.

Taking her hand, he pulled her into a standing position and just looked at her. Once more, the anticipation built. His lips were tingling, longing to finally kiss her. Instead of doing so immediately, he wrapped his arms around her waist slowly though, pulling her in inch by inch.

When their lips finally met, it was a slow and gentle kiss. Vic sighed against his lips, rising up onto the tip of her toes and cupping his face with her hands. Her fingers brushed through his stubble, making him melt against her body. He took his time, enjoying the way they just held each other and kissed each other like there was nothing but them in the world.

Eventually, he did go back to convincing her to take that shirt off. His hands moved from her back over her hips and ribs to the front of the shirt. He started unbuttoning it, and Vic let it happen this time. Actually, while he was walking her backwards to towards her bedroom, she was working on taking off the one of his shirts he was wearing too.

Knowing Vic, it would probably be hers tomorrow, and he didn’t want it any other way.


	3. Teasing

“I really don’t see your problem.” Vic turned her head back over her shoulder with a teasing grin, and wrapped her towel around her body tightly. “Your shower is working just fine.”

Lucas chuckled and moved his hand through his wet hair in the way that she enjoyed so much to watch. Stepping right behind her, he brushed a kiss against her naked shoulder. The feeling made goosebumps spread all the way down her back. No matter how often he had kissed her kissed her like that, it still made her feel so many things.

“I did like my shower a lot more today than I usually do, too.”

Smiling, Vic turned around. She straightened up onto the tips of her toes and put her arms around Lucas’ neck. Leaning her head back a little, she looked at his face closely and saw him flashing her that special smile that she almost felt was only for her. It was a smile that didn’t really show on his lips. With the way he had pushed his chin slightly forward and was looking back at her, it did shine in his eyes though.

Vic’s smile grew even wider before she straightened up even more and brushed her lips against Lucas’ in a gentle kiss. He put his arms around her waist tightly and deepened the kiss immediately. His tongue licked over her bottom lip, begging for entrance, that she granted him willingly with a content sigh falling from her lips.

After her long and exhausting shift, all she had wanted was to get into bed, curl up under her blanket and fall asleep. She had already been halfway to her home when Lucas had called her and asked if she wanted to come over. Since she had never been to his home, although they had been seeing each other for quite some weeks now, taking this chance had been more tempting than falling into bed.

Once she had arrived here – here being a cozy house with garden that could have been taken right out of some picture book, even with the white picket fence missing – Lucas had easily convinced her that she had to try his shower. He had argued that he wasn’t happy with it, and that she should check if she came to the same conclusion.

This joint shower had just been what she had needed. It had energized her in a good way, while it had simultaneously erased the adrenaline that had made her nervously excited. Nervous excitement was a common feeling for her when she came back home from work, especially when it had been a shift with a high-risk operation. It just wasn’t the best feeling when you came home from a long night and really needed to rest or sleep.

When their lips parted, the tiredness that she should be feeling after this long day took over once more though. A long yawn escaped her lips, making Lucas chuckle and tighten his arms around her waist.

“That is what you think of kissing me, really?”

Vic joint into his chuckle. Maybe she would have said yes and continued bickering with him for a little, but the tiredness was really starting to roll over her. Unlike most shifts, she really hadn’t had a single break in this one.

“I am really, really tired.”

He smiled at her sympathetically, lifted his hand and stroked his fingers over her cheek gently. Although he was spending most of his time behind a desk now, he did understand the tiredness and exhaustion that came with an operation. Fighting a fire looked like fun when it happened on TV, but it was actually quite hard work. The emotional part, seeing people suffer from extreme injuries or seeing them dead because you couldn’t save them, not even counted into it.

Until this very moment that Lucas was looking at her that way, understanding what she was feeling and knowing what she needed, Vic hadn’t truly understood what it was like to be with someone who did understand. It was good, maybe even better than that.

“Go to bed,” Lucas suggested with soft voice, nodding towards the bedroom, “and I will be there in a minute.”

“I will count down the seconds. Don’t let me wait.”

“I wouldn’t dare to.”

He leaned down and placed a firm kiss on her lips before he let go of her. Vic pressed her nose against his collar bone for a second, breathing him in, and turned around to go then.

Lucas’ large bed looked very tempting right now. Vic could feel her muscles ache to just lie down there and fall asleep. Since she didn’t really like to sleep naked and a damp towel didn’t seem like a good choice either, she turned around to Lucas’ wardrobe. She hadn’t taken any clothes with her – how could she when she hadn’t even known that he was going to invite her over for the night?

With her hands already reached out for the handles of the doors, she stopped though. What she and Lucas had was still complicated, and she didn’t exactly see that changing anytime soon. He was her boss. Actually, he was her boss’ boss’ boss. They could both be fired if someone found out which was why their relationship was mainly taking place behind the door of her apartment and now the door of his house. If they did go to their place for example, they usually made sure not to be seen together arriving or leaving there together. Complicated.

“Lucas?”

“Yes?”

“Can I borrow one of your shirts?”

Getting out of the bathroom now, his towel exchanged for some boxer briefs, Lucas moved his hands through his wet hair and chuckled. It made his abs tense, emphasizing the defined muscles.

“You are planning to give it back?”

“No.” Vic grinned. “But I could hardly ask if I can steal it.”

Lucas chuckled once more, shaking his head. He climbed into the bed, pulled the blanket over his legs and sat back against the headrest of the bed. When his eyes met hers, he perked up his eyebrows.

“So can I borrow one of your shirts and deliberately forget to give it back?”

“One of my stupid, nice-smelling shirts?” He grinned, nodding his head. “Anytime.”

Vic opened the doors of the wardrobe and couldn’t stop herself from scanning Lucas’ clothes. Like expected, he had quite some white shirts and black pants for his uniform. He also owed a number of sweaters.

She remembered that, when she had first seen Lucas in anything else than his uniform at that peer meeting, he had worn one of those sweaters too. She hadn’t thought of him to be a sweater-wearing kind of guy, but then you didn’t really know a person behind the rank until you got to know them privately. Once she had started to get to know Lucas as a private person, she had found that he was full of surprises.

Given that they hadn’t really had the best start with her yelling at him repeatedly although he was her boss, at least that hadn’t come as a surprise.

Without thinking about it much longer, she grabbed one of his shirts. She knew exactly that he was watching her, but she chose to ignore the tickling feeling spreading on her skin at knowing that. Instead, she just dropped the damp towel to the floor and put on his shirt. And, yes, it smelled just as nice as the other shirt of his that she had already stolen. After all, it was the smell of his skin sticking to the fabric.

When she turned around towards the bed, Lucas was still looking at her. Vic chuckled, shaking her head at the desire in his eyes. He had obviously had a very restful day, but for her it was really time to lie down, maybe talk a little more, before falling asleep.

Vic crossed the distance towards the foot of the bed hurriedly and crawled onto the mattress. Lucas lifted the blanket for her, so she could easily slide in next to him. She snuggled up to her side and pushed one of her legs between both of his. That way she was lying half on top of him. Her head came to rest on his shoulder. She put a hand over his heart, feeling the heartbeat.

“Bad day?”

A sigh escaped her lips when Lucas put both of his arms around her and placed a gentle kiss on her hairline. He started to move one hand through her hair. His fingertips massaged her scalp gently as he did so. Vic felt her eyes fluttering shut at the feeling.

She thought about her shift. Five minutes in, they had been called to a fire at a condo. They had evacuated the building as quickly as possible, but not everyone had made it out unharmed. The screams of the people with severe burning wounds were echoing in her ear, now that it was quiet.

Leaning her head back, she locked her eyes with Lucas. She knew she could tell him about all of this. Even though you were supposed to keep a professional distance to operations, the things you saw in this job couldn’t be shaken off easily. Everyone knew that and, given that they were going to the same peer meeting, she knew that Lucas had even experienced the inability to shake some things off himself.

“Just a long shift,” she replied with a sigh and snuggled her cheek more against his shoulder, “a very long shift.”

Lucas nodded, the expression in his eyes growing even warmer. His arms tightened around her like holding her could make those memories go away and protect her from being haunted by them in her dreams. Weirdly, although she knew that it wasn’t logical, she felt exactly like that in his arms.

“Wanna tell me about it?”

Vic sighed, thinking about it. She knew that she could tell him about it. Lucas would listen, and he would share his own experience. That would make her feel better. Right now, she was just too tired to do so. Right now, she really just wanted to catch some sleep.

“Maybe later.” She propped herself up on one arm, so she could brush her lips against his gently before she slumped herself back onto the mattress with a sigh. “For now, I’d like you to just talk me to sleep.”

“Ah, you want to hear insider information from the Chief’s office.”

Closing her eyes as she snuggled her cheek back against his shoulder, Vic chuckled. She couldn’t care less about the politics behind the job as long as she got to do what she loved to do without being bothered by said politics too much, and she was sure that she knew more of the gossip than Lucas did because nobody gossiped with the Fire Chief.

So no, that wasn’t the reason why she wanted to hear him talk. She just liked to listen to Lucas’ voice while she was falling asleep. It was corny and didn’t really suit her. Still, it was how it was.

“Oh, I really want to know about all the dirty, little deals you have to close, Baby.”

Chuckling, Lucas tightened his arm around her body and placed a kiss on the top of her head. His lips stayed there for a moment. Although her eyes stayed closed, it made her smile, and she rubbed her hand over his heart gently.

“Well, I did have lunch with the mayor today,” he started eventually, “and it was quite boring.”

“Didn’t see that coming.”

Vic grinned. She knew that Lucas wasn’t exactly a fan of the mayor. He couldn’t really say why, nobody really could, but there was just something about him that made him unlikable to most people.

“I also made the last arrangements for that conference I have to attend in Chicago next week.”

Frowning, Vic angled her head back to look at Lucas. He hadn’t mentioned any trip to Chicago yet, at least not that she could remember.

“You’re going to Chicago?”

“Just for a couple of days,” he said almost apologetically, “almost forgot about it to be honest.”

“Really?” Vic grinned once more. “What has distracted you?”

“I don’t know.”

Lucas looked at her innocently. His right hand started sliding down her back and over her hips until it rested flat against the side of her thigh. He moved his fingertips in small circles. His eyes stayed locked on hers.

“I really have no idea at all.”

“Well, do you think it might have something to do with that hot firefighter that has spent a lot of the last time lying in your bed and wearing your clothes?”

“You know about Nicole?”

Vic laughed darkly. “Oh, you did not just-“

She pulled the pillow from the other side of the bed and hit it in his face. Sitting up, she straddled his lap and hit the pillow into his face over and over again. Laughing, Lucas gave it a half-hearted attempt to fight her off. He merely did more than tickling her and block maybe every other hit with the pillow.

Eventually, he grabbed the pillow though. With a quick movement, he ripped it from her hands and threw it across the room. His arms bent around her waist while he was sitting up. He turned them around then, so her back was pressing into the mattress, his body covering hers. She pretended to try pushing him off, but he simply grabbed her hands and laced his fingers with hers, holding them to the mattress and making her immovable.

They were both laughing until they were breathless. That was when their eyes met again. Their laughter turned into chuckles. Their chuckles turned into a content silent, filled with intimacy.

“I love you,” Vic whispered.

Lucas smiled. “I love you, too.”

Slowly, Lucas leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. Despite her tiredness, Vic could feel herself wanting more. She slipped one hand out of his touch to grab some strands of his hair at the back of his head and deepened the kiss. She sighed against his lips when their tongues met, arching her back off the mattress slightly and pressing her body more against his by that.

“What about your tiredness?”

He whispered the question between two kisses. The way his hands slowed down in stroking over her naked skin told her that he would stop right here if she was too tired.

“Screw tiredness. I can sleep when you’re in Chicago.”

Wrapping her legs around his hips and turning them yet again, she leaned down. Her nose was brushing against his. Their lips were so close that she could feel his breath ghosting over her chin.

“Besides, you wanted to convince me that the shower isn’t good. If we get sweaty, we might have to take another shower.”

Lucas chuckled. “God, I love the way you think.”

With that, he lifted his head from the pillow and captured her lips in a heated kiss. And maybe that was her new favorite way of ending a day. No, it definitely was.


	4. Coming Home

After a quick look at his watch, Lucas pulled out his phone and skimmed through the last few emergencies that the team of station 19 had been called to since he had checked the last time. It looked like they had had a busy, but rather ordinary shift, maybe except for the baby that Vic had needed to deliver. The second baby she had delivered since they had gotten together.

Anyway, Vic should be home, probably catching some sleep, by now. That was, if she wasn’t celebrating her success, high from it. Since she hadn’t called or texted him, he was almost sure that she was asleep though.

That thought made him smile when he put his suitcase into the trunk of his car. He knew exactly where he was going now. Seeing Vic had been the very reason that he had decided to rebook his flight back to Seattle the very moment that he had realized that he could be here a couple of hours earlier.

While he was driving through the city, bending the speed limits slightly, he realized that this was the first time in a long time that he was coming home from some official trip and was happy to come home. He hadn’t had anything that had made him excited to come home in a while. His sister was living away in Los Angeles. As Fire Chief, he didn’t have many friends. His friendship with Sully was still strained. His two marriages had burst into flames. Even if that hadn’t happened, it wouldn’t have given him much comfort when coming home.

Of course he knew that coming back from this short stay in Chicago where he had been to some presentations and some meeting with Fire Chiefs from all over the US was certainly different than coming back from a 24-hour-shift at the fire department. He even got why Danielle and Eva hadn’t appeared to be the most supportive wives. Being married to a firefighter was a tough thing, especially for someone who wasn’t on the job.

With Vic, it was different. They shared the experience of working as firefighters, so they understood each other on a level that an outsider would never be able to understand. At the same time, he was the one with the job behind the desk now. There was little to no reason to be worried about his job. He often spent days away from fire. Even if there was a fire, he usually stayed outside because as the highest-ranking person there, everyone operated under his command.

He wondered if it was different if he hadn’t been a fire fighter or if he wasn’t Fire Chief now. In his position, he could easily get the information on every single operation Vic had to go through. He could read all the details in the report if he wanted to. He got access to the files from his phone. He got briefed about every emergency coming in to every station he was supervising. He did keep an eye on every station, so it wasn’t much of a big deal.

Admittedly, he might keep both eyes on station 19, but that wasn’t because he didn’t trust Vic’s ability. She was a good firefighter. He could easily see her making a career although she might be a little too quick-tempered and a little too easily tempted to go at her superior. She had yelled at him as the Fire Chief twice before they had gotten together, but that was who she was. That was part of the reason he loved her.

And love was the reason why he followed what was happening on station 19 even more thoroughly than what was happening on the other stations. He just wanted to know ahead of time if anything was happening on station 19.

He parked his car two blocks away from Vic’s apartment which reminded him of the part of dating a fire fighter that wasn’t that welcomed – the secrecy.

Sure, at first it hadn’t been much of a problem. They had just enjoyed spending some night together. Then they had casually dated, and that hadn’t been much of a problem to keep a secret either. Now that there was love in the mix, keeping it a secret was a lot more difficult though.

Last week, they had thought about taking a vacation, but just thinking about it they had run into a dozen of problems. If they took days off at the same, it would look suspicious. One day, like he had done to take care of when she had been sick, was one thing. Taking off several days and leaving the city at the same time without telling anyone that they were going together was going to be suspicious, especially with all the time that he had spent as station 19 lately. Lying about it by inventing cover stories was bound to end in a huge mess-up from the start. They had both come to that conclusion and decided to put the idea off until they might be able to find a way. For now, that just wasn’t possible.

Once he had arrived in front of Vic’s apartment building, he reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out his keys. It was the first time that he was using the keys that she had given to him the morning before he had left to Chicago. With how much time he was spending at her place, it probably made sense that he had keys, especially because it meant that he could just wait at her place for her when she was coming home from work.

He unlocked the door and quickly hurried up the few floors to Vic’s apartment. Checking his watch yet again, he was sure that she was already fast asleep. Even if she had decided to eat some breakfast – which mostly consisted of pasta or something because those 24-hour-shifts really messed with one’s biorhythm – she would be asleep. He knew her routines well enough to know that by now.

That was why he unlocked the door as quietly as possible before he stepped into her apartment. Everything was dark, so his eyes needed a moment to adjust to it. He could smell food, so she really had eaten before lying down.

Lucas put his suitcase next to the door and closed the door as quietly as he had unlocked it. Walking towards the bedroom, he rested his keys on the dining table. He opened the door to the bedroom even more quietly – if that was even possible – than he had unlocked and closed the apartment door.

Although Vic had pulled the curtains in front of the windows, the rising sun was spending enough light for him to see the outlines of her body under the blanket. She was rolled up on her side, her back turned towards him. Her chest was rising and falling evenly with each of the deep breaths she was taking.

Only now Lucas realized how much he had really missed Vic. He had thought that he had known it before, but seeing Vic lying in her bed and sleeping this peacefully made him realize how much he had really grown used to having her around him. They had texted a few times while he had been away, but it just wasn’t the same.

He slipped out of his jeans and shirt – Vic did like him to be shirtless – and stepped closer to the bed. His first knee was already resting on the mattress when he realized what Vic was wearing. It was the blue shirt she had stolen or borrowed and deliberately forgot to give back last week when she had first been to his place. A place she was getting a key for first thing in the morning tomorrow.

A feeling of warmth spread in the pit of his stomach. He loved seeing Vic in his clothes. There was just some domesticity in there that he liked very much. It was so natural, something that they didn’t get easily given the secrecy around their relationship. They didn’t get the chance to touch outside of their homes or even meet outside of their homes. They only existed in their places and their diner. Apart from that, they had to keep a professional distance.

But not here.

Lucas climbed onto the mattress completely and lay down behind her. His arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer until her back was flush against his chest. He pushed a leg between hers, touching her feet with his. He rested his head right behind Vic’s on the pillow, breathing in the scent of her hair and skin.

This was what coming home should feel like, he thought to himself, and he hoped that it was what coming home would feel like for the next time.

Although he had dozed a little on his flight, Lucas let his eyes flutter shut again now. He could use some more hours of sleep and-

His thoughts came to a stop when Vic stirred. She grabbed his right hand, pulling his arm away from under her waist to use a as a pillow instead. Her other hand came to rest on his forearm what was put over her stomach. She held onto him while she wiggled a little until her body fitted against his like a fitting piece of a puzzle. And in some ways, it might be.

“You’re back early.”

Lucas hummed, lifting his head just enough to brush his lips against the shell of her ear. Vic sighed sleepily when he placed a kiss to the soft spot under her ear.

“I missed the hot firefighter that has spent a lot of the last time lying in my bed and wearing my clothes.” He smiled. “ _My_ hot firefighter.”

Even though Vic wasn’t exactly awake, a smile formed on her lips. She turned her head a little, pushing her nose against his arm to breathe him in like he had done before. Her fingers tightened around his forearm.

“And Nicole kicked you out?”

Lucas would have laughed out loud, but he didn’t want to disturb the quiet of the moment. Vic deserved her sleep, and she might wake up if he burst out laughing. That was why he limited himself to a low chuckle.

“No, you have been my first choice,” he whispered, then leaned in a little closer, “and my only choice.”

A moment of silence followed. Lucas wondered briefly if Vic had just fallen back asleep. Before he was really convinced, she turned in his arms though. Her eyes fluttered open, looking at him with the tip of her nose brushing against his. She was obviously tired. He could see that in her face, but her eyes showed also a warmth that proved to him that he had made the right decision. Coming back early and coming here directly had been the right call to make.

He lifted his hand to Vic’s cheek, stroking his fingertips over her soft skin. Without taking his eyes off her, he nuzzled her nose.

“I missed you,” she whispered, scrunching up her nose a little, “and I’m glad you’re back.”

Lucas leaned forward and captured Vic’s lips in a gentle kiss. His arm tightened around her waist. Vic’s hands cupped face, holding him like he was so very precious to her.

“I missed you, too.”

He barely let their lips part for long enough to say those words before he moved their lips together again. He sighed into the kiss, a sigh of relief to be back home.

Continuing to kiss her, Lucas realized how much he really loved Vic. He had known he loved her since they had had their first fight, and they had avoided each other for days. Back then, he had realized how much he missed talking to her and sleeping in bed with her and all these other things they were doing. He had just missed her and everything she brought into his life.

Right now, coming back to Seattle after a couple of days of work and just lying here and kissing, he really understood how deep his love for her went. He hadn’t felt like that since-

No, he had never felt like that before.

When their lips eventually parted, Lucas only tightened his arms around Vic once more. He didn’t want her to move away although she made little to no attempt to do so in the first place. Instead, she moved even closer and angled her head back just enough to be able to look at him. Her brown eyes were full of warmth.

“On a scale from one to ten, how boring have those meetings been?”

“A full ten, I’d say.” Lucas chuckled. “What about your days? How boring have your shifts been?”

“Not that boring actually. You now, I delivered a baby today. Again.”

“I have heard.”

Vic perked up her eyebrows. “Did you talk to Sullivan on your way?”

“No.”

Lucas already took in a breath to explain that he was checking the emergencies they were operating on when he realized how that made him look. It was either sappy – which might be slightly embarrassing, but still better than the alternative – or controlling. He breathed out with a chuckle, shaking his head and looking away briefly.

When his eyes locked back with Vic’s, she just looked at him nosily, waiting for an answer.

“I keep tabs on what is happening in my department,” he explained a little evasively, “maybe some more tabs on station 19.”

He watched Vic’s reaction closely. She didn’t say anything though. She just perked up her eyebrows a little, the corners of her lips twitching into a barely visible smile.

“You do?”

“Yes.” He grinned at her soft reaction, leaning a little further down once more. “I blame it on my hot firefighter that has spent a lot of the last time lying in my bed and wearing my clothes.”

Now, Vic’s lips formed into a warm smile. Her arms wrapped around the back of his neck when she hummed softly.

“You can’t blame anything on her.”

“No, not everything,” he replied lightly, “but that. And the fact that I will be very, very tired tomorrow.”

“Yeah?”

Lucas nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

With that he lowered his head once more. His lips met hers, claiming them in a heated and yet gentle kiss. Yes, he loved coming home to his hot firefighter and being kept awake by her every second of the night. He couldn’t possibly enjoy anything more than that.


	5. A good morning

She woke up to the familiar feeling of soft kisses being peppered all over her face. Without opening her eyes, Vic smiled. Not that long ago, she would have wanted to use every single second that she got to sleep. She would even hit the snooze button repeatedly because she wouldn’t want to wake up.

That, just like so many other things in her life, was different now. She still very much enjoyed her sleep, but she didn’t mind waking up as much as she had used to. Lucas was good at bringing her some sweet awakening.

He kissed a slow trail towards her ear. His lips took hold of her lobe. While tongue licked over the underside of her lobe, his front teeth scratched over the upside. It left a pleasant sting that made goosebumps spread all the way down her back.

“Morning,” he whispered into her ear.

Vic’s smile widened, and her eyes fluttered open. Lucas’ face was hovering over hers as he had propped his head up onto his hand and was looking at her with a warm smile on his lips. There was so much love in his eyes that Vic felt her body starting to tingle just from looking back at him. Her body came back to life. Until now, she hadn’t even noticed his hand that was spread out against her hip. His fingertips had pushed up the hem of his shirt she was wearing, revealing a bit of her skin for him to touch.

Seeing his face first thing in the morning made it so easy to wake up. There was no better way to start her day than to be all wrapped up in his arms and his smell and all the ways he made her feel. Sometimes, life really was better than a dream.

“Morning,” she whispered back sleepily. “Good, wonderful, sexy morning.”

She lifted one hand to the back of his head and put her other hand over his on her hip. Smiling, she pulled him closer towards her then and let him roll on top of her. Their lips brushed together in a gentle kiss. And another one. And another one. And…

All those times that Travis had told her about his marriage and how much he had loved waking up with his husband every morning, she had never quite understood it. She had never understood how the most daily things could make you feel like you were the luckiest person in the world.

She had found that with Lucas though. They hadn’t been together for long. They weren’t married. They weren’t even public yet, and there was a realistic chance that they never would be. Still, she knew that she was very, very lucky when they were together. He made her happy. He made her feel loved. He made her feel less crappy about waking up.

When their lips eventually parted, Lucas leaned barely away from her. His face stayed so close that the tips of their noses brushed together when they took in a breath at the same time. Vic’s fingers stayed at the back of his head, combing through his short hair.

“I think I might have to talk to Sully about how hard he is working you.”

Vic perked up her eyebrows. She didn’t say a word though. She didn’t have to. She knew that Lucas would understand her anyway.

“You have slept through half of the day, and I know that you haven’t had a lot of operations during your last shift. You shouldn’t be this sleepy.”

The mention of how he had yet again checked what her shift had held in store for her made it hard to bite back a warm smile. It made everything tickle inside of her with the best feeling. You couldn’t possibly feel more loved than Vic felt loved by Lucas in this moment. Knowing that he was just casually checking on what her shift had held in store for her to make sure that she was safe and alright was just incredibly sweet.

“You know, if you want to complain about my workload, you might have to go a little higher.”

“Higher?”

Lucas perked up his eyebrows. He lowered his head and moved his lips against hers without really kissing her for a moment. When he angled his head back again, bringing his lips out of reach for her, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

“How much higher?”

“Well, my boss’ boss’ boss would be good.”

“Your boss’ boss’ boss?” He gasped for a breath of air dramatically. “Sounds like an important guy.”

“Oh, no.” Vic rolled her eyes and waved it off. “He is not that important.”

“No?”

“No,” Vic replied with a chuckle, shaking her head, “not at all.”

She watched Lucas push his tongue against the inside of his cheek. He loved when she teased him like that. They loved teasing each other. Right now, she really wanted a kiss though, and she knew that she wouldn’t get that easily if she continued teasing him like that.

“Anyway,” she said, her hands lowering down his back toward the hem of his shirt, so she could sneak her fingertips under the fabric and brush them against his soft skin, “if you want to complain about my workload, you have to complain to him. He is putting me through extra shifts, a lot of extra shifts. When he does, he works me very, very hard.”

Vic could feel him shifting his hips against hers in response to what she was saying. He sucked in a deep breath, his eyes dipping towards her lips for a moment.

“Want me to complain to him for you?”

“No.” Vic dug her fingernails into the soft skin of Lucas’ back, scratching him lightly in a way that made him growl out loudly. “For him, I report for duty whenever he wants me to and how often he wants me to.”

Something glinted in his eyes at her words. He definitely liked what she had said. He enjoyed knowing she was here for their fantastic sex at any time. He didn’t give her much time to revel in how wanted he made her feel though. Soon, his lips were covering hers, claiming them in a hungry kiss.

Vic moaned into the kiss, moving her hands into his hair to pull him even more against her. Her legs were fighting to wriggle the blanket off her body, so she could wrap her legs around his hips and feed the need for friction she felt building between her legs. Before she could do so, the ringing of the doorbell made her stop though.

With a groan of frustration, Lucas let go of her lips.

“Cam’s got the worst timing.”

“Cam?” Vic frowned. “What’s he doing here?”

Cam was the friendly waiter at the diner she and Lucas always went to when they were feeling in need of going out for a bit. Although they were still a secret, they did go out to their diner sometimes. If they couldn’t even have that, what would make their relationship – and it was a real relationship based on love, inspiration and mutual respect – different from an affair?

“Getting in our way of having sex again, it seems.”

Vic chuckled at the memory. When she and Lucas had been at the diner for the second time, he had figured that it was their place now which had led to her stating that she had always seen her bed at their place because they had evidently spent the most of their time together there. They had both enjoyed it – very much actually – but Lucas had asked to have more of some different time together, something that had made it perfectly clear for her that they were more than an affair. What they had was more than sex.

In her car in the parking lot, they had started making out. The agreement to take this thing between them to the next level had turned both of them on very much. She had already been busy with the buckle of his belt when Cam had knocked at the window of the car and asked them to stop. It had been awkward, but so worth it.

“I asked Cam to bring us some breakfast here.”

“You asked Cam to bring us breakfast here?”

“Yeah, including your eggy thing.”

“That dish has a name,” she scolded him, mocking the same voice he had used on her when she had been ordering the eggy thing. “Besides, they don’t have a delivery service.”

Lucas grinned and was about to reply, but the doorbell rang yet again. Quickly, Vic pushed at his shoulder to make him roll off of her. Then she jumped out of bed and hurried towards the door. Thinking about it, she was starving and nothing was better against the feeling of starvation than that delicious eggy thing.

She grabbed her purse from the bottommost step of the stairs and already started rummaging around for her wallet. Even when she opened the door, she didn’t look up.

“So, Cam, how exactly did my hubby get you to deliver us food and-“

“Hubby? Did I miss something?”

Surprised at the unfamiliar voice, Vic lifted her gaze to find a woman standing in front of her. She was looking her up and down with a surprised, nosy and yet friendly smile. Vic was sure that her cheeks had turned red. They were even tickling from the feeling of quite embarrassment because she was very well aware of the fact that she was still wearing Lucas’ shirt and only her panties under them. That was it.

“You have to be Vic.”

Vic frowned, cocking her head slightly. Since that woman knew her name, she couldn’t be a complete stranger. Actually, there was even some familiarity there. Vic had seen her before, but she really couldn’t say where.

“Yes,” Vic replied a little awkwardly, “and you are…?”

“Jennifer, what are you doing here?”

Vic looked back over her shoulder towards where Lucas was hurrying down the stairs. He shot Vic a brief glance that she didn’t know what to think of. He walked past her and hugged the woman.

Jennifer. Jennifer. Jennifer. That name rang a bell for Vic. She had heard it before. She had read it before. She had said it before.

“Vic, this is Jennifer,-“

“Your sister.”

Lucas nodded his head, rolling his lips over his teeth slightly. Vic touched her upper lip with the tip of her tongue, trying to bite back an awkward chuckle or an even more awkward ramble. She definitely hadn’t pictured meeting Jennifer like this. She hadn’t had any particular ideas, but she knew that she had been wearing more than she was wearing right now.

Quickly, Vic turned back to Jennifer and reached out her hand. “Hi. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“So nice to meet you, too,” Jennifer said, shaking Vic’s hand, but her eyes shot her brother a brief glance before she looked back at Vic again. “And I am very sorry for ambushing you like this. I was around and thought I’d meet Lucas for an early lunch and-“

“Bad timing,” Lucas whispered, “very bad timing.”

“I see.”

Jennifer’s gaze moved down Vic’s naked legs once more. There was no disrespect or belittlement there though. There was just a little awkwardness and a lot of amusement.

“I guess I will leave you two to it then,” she said, “but we should meet for lunch. How about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow’s good,” Vic replied, “I don’t have to work, so-“

“Okay,” Lucas agreed, “lunch tomorrow. Vic and I know a diner. I will text to the address.”

Before Jennifer could reply, Cam made it up the stairs, several bags in his hands. He was breathing heavily, a fine layer of sweat covering his forehead.

“Puh, I guess I should go back to working out. The last time has been… a while ago.”

“Cam!” Lucas said quickly and brushed a kiss against Vic’s cheek before he stepped aside. “Come in. Come in. I’ll get you a glass of water.”

Cam nodded towards Vic when he walked past her. He was really breathing heavily. Lucas was right to invite him in and make sure he got his rest. Cam needed to work on his health, something Lucas would probably tell him too. He was their favorite waiter. He couldn’t die from a heart attack.

Turning back to Jennifer, Vic found her still smiling at her.

“Lucas and I will just text because of tomorrow then.”

“Yes.” Vic smiled back at her, tugging at the hem of Lucas’ shirt she was wearing. “I’m looking forward to seeing you again… when I am dressed more.”

They both chuckled at how truly awkward this first meeting probably was for both of them. When Vic looked at Jennifer again, she was smiling at her again though.

“You know, no matter how awkward this situation of us meeting the first time when you are only wearing my brother’s clothes might be” – again they both chuckled – “I already know that I like you.”

Vic was slightly taken aback by this. She remembered that the fake marriage Cam had gotten them into had already made her nervous about whether his family would like her. Actually meeting Lucas’ sister, who was basically his entire family, should have been scary for her. She didn’t feel scared though, and Jennifer didn’t make her feel like she had to be.

“My brother talks about you like he hasn’t talked about anyone in… like he has never talked about anyone. I couldn’t possibly dislike you with how he speaks about you. Just do me a favor.”

“Sure.”

Vic might have said “anything”, but she remembered Lucas telling her that Jennifer hadn’t been too happy with the job he had chosen. If she expected to find an ally in convincing Lucas of stepping down from the job, Vic would have to disappoint her. She knew how much Lucas loved this job. He loved it as much as she loved it.

They’d have a problem less if that was different.

“Please don’t break his heart.”

Vic knew that she was referring to his first two wives, who had both broken his heart one way or the other. He had gotten over it for sure, but he had felt like he had been punched in the stomach both times. His experience with marriage wasn’t the best, and that had had an influence on him.

“I’ll do my best.”

“That’s all I can ask for.” She smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Vic.”

“See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

Jennifer had already taken the first few steps away when she turned back once more. She was frowning now, but amusement was still playing in her eyes.

“ _Hubby_?”

Vic chuckled and lowered her eyes for a moment. It was weird to have someone else know about their fake marriage. As long as it had been just between them, it had been fun. With someone else in on their secret, it was weird though.

“Cam, the waiter of our diner who just delivered our breakfast, just came to the conclusion that we are married. We didn’t correct him.”

Jennifer nodded. “In that case, see you tomorrow, sister-in-law.”

Vic watched Jennifer leave, feeling the knot she hadn’t even known had built in her stomach easing. One more step on the way through this difficult and meaningful relationship was taken, it seemed.

“See you tomorrow.”

Flinching, Vic turned around to see Cam – now much more rested it seemed – strolling towards her. He smiled shyly, pushed himself past her and out of the door. Instead of just leaving, he turned around towards her once more though. His smile was just as shy as it had been before.

“Your hubby already asked to reserve your usual table.”

“He’s the best,” Vic said with a smile, feeling weirdly aroused by having Cam call Lucas her hubby yet again, “the absolute best.”

“I am sure he is.” Cam smiled. “See you tomorrow, Mrs. Ripley.”

Mrs. Ripley. Okay then.

“See you tomorrow, Cam.”

Vic closed the door and strolled over to the kitchen. Lucas as already busy unpacking the bags of food Cam had brought over. She smelled her delicious eggy thing.

When Lucas noticed her, he turned his head back over his shoulder briefly. He smiled at her.

“Ready for breakfast?”

“Very much. Yes.”

Chuckling, Vic stepped behind Lucas. She wrapped her arms around his middle and snuggled the side of her face against his back. Lucas stopped what he was doing to put his hands on to of hers and lean his body back against hers.

“I met your sister.”

“You did.” Lucas rubbed his hands over hers. “I hope you didn’t feel too ambushed.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Just keep holding on to that feeling.” Chuckling, Lucas turned around to her. His arms wrapped around her waist. His lips brushed against her forehead. “Before you meet her again tomorrow.”

Vic perked up her eyebrows. “Didn’t you say that she’d like me better than your first two wives?”

Lucas chuckled. Framing her face, he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Vic felt herself melting against his body with a sigh, enjoying the way kissing him felt.

“She will like you,” he promised, “but she might want to test you a little. She might be my little sister, but that doesn’t mean that she is any less protective about me. She might want to test you tomorrow.”

“And you think I will fail?”

“No.” Lucas chuckled, tightening his arms around her. “I love you. That will help you pass any test she might put you through. I’m just saying that you might have to leap some hurdles before she likes you. But don’t worry about it.”

He pecked her lips once more before he turned back towards the boxes of takeout and placed them on the small kitchen table. Vic went to grab them some plates from the cupboard.

“I’m just saying that I got a feeling you will come to the conclusion tomorrow that Jennifer already does like me.”

“Well, nothing could make me more excited.”

Vic chuckled. “I am sure I can come up with ways.”

Lucas perked up his eyebrows nosily. “Oh, really?”

Biting down on her bottom lip, Vic crossed the distance towards him. She held onto the front of his shirt when she straightened up on the tips of her toes and brought her lips impossibly close to his. Instead of kissing him, she brushed her lips against his earlobe though.

“Just wait until after breakfast.”


	6. Fantasy Vacation

Pulling the keys out of the pocket of his pants, Lucas felt a smile pulling at the corners of his lips. It didn’t matter how many times he had used the keys Vic had given him now, it still made his entire body tingle to use them. He loved Vic, and he loved that she trusted him enough to let him come to her apartment whenever she wanted to.

Down the line, he could see himself moving together with Vic. She was great. Their time together was great. They were great together. Moving in together would be a great opportunity to spend even more time together. They would have a home that they shared, a place that they could call theirs that wasn’t some shabby diner with stale bagels and cold coffee. It was the place they could come home to and just be Lucas and Vic.

But of course they would have to find a solution for their other problems before they could even consider moving in together. The fact that they had to keep their relationship a secret even from some of the people closest to them – or at least closest to Vic since he didn’t really have too many people that he was close to – didn’t make it easy to even think about taking any further steps in their relationship. If they couldn’t even find a way to go on a vacation together, how would they make moving in together work?

Lucas shook his head. It was a problem to think about in the future. He had told Vic that they would find a way to make it work somehow. They hadn’t really talked about it any further, but he had done some reading already. He just hadn’t found anything to really help them yet. There was only one way to save them from disciplinary consequences, and he wasn’t sure if Vic was ready to go for that. He wasn’t even sure if he himself was ready to go for that.

Unlocking the door, Lucas felt a wave of warmth hit him. He frowned, releasing a long breath, and took off his jacket before he had even passed the doorstep. Either Vic’s heating system was broken, or she was sick. That was the last time she had wanted her apartment this warm. He had had trouble to sneak around and put the temperature back to normal without receiving punishing glares from her.

“Vic?” he called out, dropping his jacket to the floor and letting his keys follow. He slipped out of his shoes, waiting for an answer, but everything stayed silent. “Vic?”

His frown deepened, and there was beat of worry. Had something happened?

When he stepped into her living room, his worry was replaced by surprise though. He perked up his eyebrows, looking around and taking everything in. If he wasn’t sure that he was in Vic’s living room, he wouldn’t recognize it now. The fluffy carpet had been rolled up and stuffed into a corner. The furniture had been pushed to the side to make room for two beach chairs. The TV was switched on, showing a beach. The rushing of water filled the room from the speakers. Some aromatic candles on the window sill spread the scent of the ocean in the room.

Before he could really wrap his mind around all of this, a movement in the corner of his visual field caught his attention. Vic came in from the kitchen, carrying two glasses of what looked like Tequila Sunrises. She was wearing a dark green bikini that was barely covering the most sensitive parts of her body as most of her skin was revealed to his gaze. Her hair was down. God, she was beautiful.

“Hey, we are on vacation,” she told him with mockingly scolding voice, cocking her head at him with a grin, “you are not Chief Ripley here, so no uniform.”

Back to fantasy vacation it was, he guessed, but he didn’t mind. Even a fantasy vacation with Vic was better than any other kind of vacation without her. If he was getting away from here for a couple of days, it was with her. If he didn’t, he was going to stay back here with her too. Vic was who he needed by his side if he really wanted to relax and enjoy some days off or recover from hard days at work.

“I guess you just want me to take it off?”

“Definitely.”

Chuckling, he unbuttoned his shirt. He took it off and let the undershirt follow. He tossed both of it into one corner of the room. When he was starting to unbuckle his belt, Vic set the drinks on the small table between the beach chairs and tossed bathing trunks at him. Frowning, he realized that those were his.

“Did you steal them from my place?”

“I was surprised you even had those. Sullivan told me that you have barely ever taken days off before you have become a chief or even a captain for that matter. When was the last time you have been at a beach or on any kind of real vacation?”

Lucas had to honestly think about, and he got to the conclusion that he actually had no idea. He didn’t know when he had been on a vacation the last time because it had been that long ago. Maybe it had been when he had been to Vermont with Eva, a terrible vacation that they had spent fighting most of the time. When they hadn’t fought, they hadn’t talked to each other at all.

“I actually don’t know,” he replied with a sigh, exchanging his pants for the bathing trunks he hadn’t worn in forever, “so this really is a great surprise.”

Vic put her hands to her hips and waited until he was done changing. When his eyes met hers, he noticed that she had narrowed her eyes down at him slightly. Perking up his eyebrows, he asked what she was thinking without saying the words out loud. He knew he didn’t have to.

“I know that you wanted to go to Aspen, but do you really want to tell me that you would exchange this” – she gestured up and down her body – “for a snowsuit.”

He released a breathy chuckle.

“I stand to what I said before. You’d look sexy in a snowsuit.”

Vic pushed her tongue against the inside of her cheek and perked up her eyebrows. As much as she tried to hide it, a wide smile was tugging at he lips. She really couldn’t hide it.

“Just think about how much longer it will take to take off a snowsuit,” she whispered, approaching him slowly, “when you can have me naked within five seconds now.”

As soon as she was in his reach, Lucas put his hands to her hips and pulled her against him. He angled his head down to her, bringing his lips as close to her as possible. Instead of kissing her, he just let his lips linger close to hers. They stayed like that for a moment, his hands still at her hips, while hers were at his shoulders, holding onto him for balance as she had straightened up onto the tips of her toes. They were looking into each other’s eyes, breathing the same air. Even their heartbeats were in synch.

Moving her hand into his hair, she pulled his head down to her. Her lips covered his, claiming them in a hungry kiss. He loved how bossy and in control she was when they were around each other. He easily gave himself to her completely. She could do whatever she wanted to do with him. He would give into it because he wanted to give into everything that she wanted from him.

When his hands moved towards the lacing of her bikini top, Vic pulled back though. With a chuckle and a scolding look, she locked her eyes with his and stepped out of his arms.

“We are on a public beach, Baby. You can’t undress me here.”

“What? You are hauling me all the way to Hawaii, and you didn’t remember to make sure we were at a nude beach?”

Laughing full-heartedly, she sat down in one of the beach chairs, spread out her legs in front of her. She grabbed one of the cocktails before she nodded towards the free seat next to her. He was almost sure that she knew that he wasn’t the type of guy for a

“Come on. Sit down. Relax. This is our vacation.”

Lucas smiled and sat down in the free beach chair. Turning his head, he looked at Vic, enjoying the way he she had closed her eyes and was holding her face into the light like it was the sun. A content smile was on her lips and, although he knew that they were still in her apartment and would have to go back to work tomorrow, he felt like they were in Hawaii. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t true. It felt true because they both wanted to believe in it, so he would enjoy every single second of this vacation.

He could see the both of them in Hawaii together, actually enjoying the sun and just being together at the beach or at the pier or anywhere they wanted without feeling the need to hide. They should be able to do so no matter where they were, but at least for now they had to get away quite some couple of miles to make that possible.

Pushing the small table between their seats back, Lucas pushed his chair closer to Vic’s. He grabbed her hand on the armrest of her chair and laced his fingers through hers. He squeezed her hand gently, resting his head back and just watching her once more.

Vic stayed unmoving for another minute before she eventually turned her head and looked back at him.

“Already tired of the view?” she asked, nodding towards the beach sunset on TV. “I thought it was nice.”

“It is nice,” he replied without looking, “but this is my favorite view actually.”

Vic smiled, dipping her head into his direction. She looked at him closely, and Lucas could see the many question marks in her eyes. She knew that he had something more to say.

“I meant what I said last week.”

“You really think that we can’t become spies?” Vic asked in a mocking whisper. “Are you sure there isn’t a way for high-ranking firefighters to switch to the CIA or something?”

“Quite sure.” He chuckled about her adorable love for spies. “But if I ever find a way, not matter how hard it appears, I will promote you as often as I can and as quickly as I can until we are both ready to switch together.”

“Thank you for not becoming a spy without me.”

“Of course.”

Lucas squeezed her hand once more. Without her, he wouldn’t want to be a spy. The life of a spy was only an option because it was her dream. He wanted to be by her side when her dreams came true. He wanted to hold her hand and live through it with her.

“What I actually meant,” he said eventually, his voice calm but determined, “is that I meant what I said about us going public. I love every moment that I get to spend with you, but I want to be able to leave our homes hand in hand without looking over my shoulder the entire time. I want to be able to talk to you when we see each other at work without twisting every word on my tongue to not get caught. I want us to find a solution that we can actually live with instead of some way that we try to stuff into the little gaps in our life.”

Vic smiled and lifted a hand to his cheek. Her fingertips brushed through his stubble in that way that made him want to snuggle his face into her touch and close his eyes. Instead of doing so, he just continued looking at her. He didn’t want to close his eyes.

“I want that too,” Vic said, “but I don’t know how that would work.”

“Neither do I,” Lucas replied honestly, “at least not yet, but let’s actually sit down and talk about our options.”

Vic perked up her eyebrows. “Now?”

“No. We are in Hawaii. There are other things to talk about or do.”

He put his free hand to her knee and moved it up her leg slowly. There was no doubt about what he had in mind for the rest of their little fantasy vacation.

“So when are we going to discuss this?”

She wouldn’t let go of this, and Lucas couldn’t be more relieved. He didn’t want to be let off the hook when it came to finding a way. He didn’t want to be let off until he had found a way to make it work.

“Tomorrow,” he suggested, “when we go to our place for breakfast?”

“Back to reality it is then, right?”

Lucas shook his shoulders. “If we’re back to reality tomorrow, we can start working on getting to Hawaii in reality. I do like fantasy Hawaii, but it would be nice to actually go to Hawaii, wouldn’t it?”

“So Aspen’s dead?”

He chuckled. “You were really convincing when it comes to Hawaii.”

“I am very convincing.”

“That you are.”

He squeezed her hand as they were both chuckling.

“Let’s talk tomorrow,” Vic agreed eventually, nodding her head, “but before that-“

“-we will enjoy our fantasy vacation.”

“Sounds like a good plan.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

With that, Lucas leaned forward. His lips were almost brushing against Vic’s lips already, but he let her close the last inch of distance which she did. Their lips met in a soft kiss.

They wound find a way, he thought to himself once more. Together they would make it work. He was sure of that.


End file.
